Delhi HC directs Centre to allow immediate operation of 'Lokshahi Marathi' news channel

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to promptly allow the commencement of operations for the news channel "Lokshahi Marathi".

Justice Subramonium Prasad said that the channel's proprietors had taken corrective actions to address issues raised by the government, entitling them to resume channel operations.

In its order, the court stated that it is of the opinion that the petitioners must be permitted to commence the operation of the channel.

Given that 15 days have passed since the government's order to suspend operations, the court directed the Union of India to permit the proprietors, namely Zora Traders Limited, Swaraj Marathi Broadcasting LLP, and Bahubali Shantilal Shah, to start the Lokshahi Marathi channel immediately.

However, while disposing of the plea, the court clarified that it did not make observations on the case's merits and exercised its discretion under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, considering the 15-day suspension and the government's satisfaction with the corrective actions taken by the channel's proprietors.

The court's decision stems from a plea filed by the channel's proprietors challenging the government's order of January 9, which suspended the channel's operation on all distribution platforms throughout India for 30 days.

Earlier, the court had instructed Zora Traders to rectify control-related issues and operate in compliance with the Government's Policy Guidelines of 2022.

After Zora Traders took corrective measures and filed an affidavit, the Centre acknowledged the actions taken and expressed hope for effective control and management of "Lokshahi Marathi" in line with permission granted to Zora Traders.